Metis National Council Takes Issue With Wording In TRC Report

A national Metis leader says he is concerned about some wording in a recent report by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Clem Chartier, the president of the Metis National Council, says the interim report of the TRC contains statements that may imply that Metis residential schools were included in the list of institutions eligible for compensation.

Chartier says that’s not the case — and the MNC won’t be participating in the TRC until a settlement is reached with respect to Metis residential schools.

He says he is not sure how reconciliation can be achieved when no one has accepted responsibility for what Metis residential school students experienced.

Chartier acknowledges some Metis who attended Indian residential schools have received compensation, but he says they are in the minority.

He says Metis haven’t been included and many survivors, including those from the boarding school in Ile a la Crosse, are still trying to have their cases heard.

Chartier also notes the TRC is making a stop in Ile a la Crosse in July, and local residents should be made aware of the MNC’s position:

“. . . They’re free to come forward, but that’s not going to get us any closer, you know, to settling the bigger issue of having the former students of Ile a la Crosse who attended the boarding school dealt with, finally, by some sort of agreement.”

He adds the MNC did meet with the commission in late January, but it was basically just to tell the TRC his organization would not be participating.